Bitter Sweet
by writteninhaste
Summary: One-shot. Sometimes love is as bitter as it is sweet.


Disclaimer: Unfortunately I own nothing

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Bitter Sweet 

_Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one_

_- C.S.Lewis_

Raven breathed in the scent of the warm, night air, letting her mind distinguish between the Antares and the Cerous, the Dombeya's and the Brugmansia. It was so rare for her to smell these flowers now a days, she rarely got a chance to find a moment's peace during the day, let alone the night. Now, strolling along the intricate pathways of Jump City's Botanical Gardens, revelling in the scent permeating the air, she felt relaxed for the first time in days. She looked over to companion; close enough that their sleeves brushed against each other; they weren't touching – their hands remained by their sides.

Roy too, was calm, though there was an undercurrent of tension that was always present in the archer – it was in his nature. He smiled down at her, and she smiled back – though she noticed his smile was slightly distracted as though he was thinking of more than just there time together.

Turning her gaze to examine a tumbling vine that fell nearby, Raven mused as to how the plant reflected her and Roy Harper's relationship. They had been friends since they were both teenagers, a friendship which had grown and blossomed into something more, but which had been filled with bouts of anger and passion, frustration and resentment – sentiments natural when such opposite personalities collided. Like the vine she now looked at, they had been inseparable at the beginning, only to fragment and break away; separate, but never far apart, often twisting and tangling together, for all they tried to remain individual, before finally coming together again towards the end – wrapping around each other and continuing to plummet downwards.

Raven knew that theirs was not the healthiest of relationships. Over the years she had Roy had broken themselves and each other with their fights, coming together again only to help each other pick up the pieces of something that no longer resembled the relationship they had once had. His passion and his emotion, the fire that fuelled his nature seemed to force her to abandon her own. Though the death of her father meant she was free to express her emotions, she prided herself on her ability to remain calm; around Roy she always failed. They were fighters, both of them, and it seemed that the aggression they both harboured deep in their souls, was most prominent around each other. They fought like cats and dogs, but at the end of the day they loved each other – and for this reason alone, they continually returned to each other's arms.

Raven smiled her trademark almost-smile as she thought, that for all their past grievances, she and Roy were getting along reasonably well this time around – eight months and counting. She knew it couldn't last, it never did, but for now she would cherish what they had been able to salvage.

She was startled out of her reverie when Roy stopped walking suddenly. He turned to her, face uncharacteristically serious. He seemed about to say something, but paused, choosing instead to examine her face. Their eyes met, and she looked away from the intensity of his gaze. She had the impression that she knew what he was going to say next. His words proved her correct.

"Marry me." It wasn't a question, but a statement. As though he had been having a conversation in his head, and that this was the only conclusion he could reach for an internal argument.

Violet eyes rose to meet emerald-green; there was a look of sympathy and a shake of the head.

"No Roy." Raven said.

There was silence for a moment, and then a handful of words were whispered in the dark. "But you love me."

Roy's disbelief was clear. He grabbed her hand, searching her face, her gaze, for something, anything; anything to relieve the pain.

Raven nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words as she removed her hand from his. Instead, she placed it on the archer's forearm; ash-grey a stark contrast to golden, tanned skin. Taking a deep breath, Raven forced herself to close her mind to the emotions threatening to swamp her. As an empath she could feel Roy's pain, and it hurt her to know that nothing she said would alleviate it.

"I love you Roy, but I'm not _in love_ with you. I never have been." Raven made sure to keep her voice even and unemotional. Though it hurt her to say it, Her face remained impassive when Roy jerked out of her hold, turning his back on the woman he had just proposed to. She pressed her hand against his shoulder blade, wincing almost imperceptibly when he stiffened at her touch.

Gently, she broached a topic she knew he would not be receptive to hearing. "You're not in love with me either."

Raven was forced to take a step back when Roy wheeled round to face her. Fury was evident in his gaze, and in every line of his body. He opened his mouth to give a angry retort, but Raven held up a hand to stall him.

"Hear me out." She said, and something in her tone must have spoken to his rational mind, because Roy closed his mouth and nodded, albeit curtly. "You were in love with me once Roy, and I was in love with you too. But that was a long time ago – we were still kids. Roy if we were married neither one of us would be happy. We fight, we scream, and then we fall together again because we remember how it used to be all those years ago. But Roy, as much as I care for you, this will never work in the long run. We could never bring children into this relationship."

Her last statement seemed to startle him, and Roy looked at her as though he had never truly seen her before. "You said you never wanted children." He said, confusion evident in his voice.

Raven nodded slowly, recognising why he was confused. "I know," she said, "And I meant it, when I told you that but recently I've been thinking, and well," she paused momentarily, "I want children, Roy."

The green-eyed archer nodded, turning his back on the violet haired empath. "You just don't want those children with me." Raven chose to ignore the partial question in his statement. It was the coward's option but she couldn't bring herself to increase his pain. She was startled when he swung around abruptly to face her. "Why not, Raven? Am I not 'father material'?" his eyes were blazing and there was venom in his voice when he asked his next question. "Am I too 'damaged' for you?"

Raven knew what he referring to, and shuddered to remember that particular fight. Shaking her head, Raven laid a placating hand in his arm. "You'd be a wonderful father one day Roy, but when I imagine my children –" she paused, realising how heartless her words sounded and just what she would reveal by continuing.

"They don't look like me." Roy finished for her. He snorted, sinking down onto the ground and resting his arms on his knees. "Let me guess, they have black hair?" he asked, looking up in time to see Raven's eyes widen. He snorted with self-deprecating humour.

"I would have to be blind not to have noticed Raven. I may not have seen the two of you together often, but even that handful of times was enough to tell me you loved him. I guess, I just always hoped you loved me more." He shook his head to silence her protests. Refusing to look at the empath, Roy fixed his gaze on a flowering cactus in front of him.

"Go to him Raven. Tell him how you feel. I'll bet you ten to the dollar he feels the same." When the violet-haired witch showed no signs of moving, he looked at her, forcing himself to meet her gaze. "Go." She hesitated a moment longer, before turning and disappearing into the night.

As he watched the space where she had been, Roy whispered into the darkness, "You're wrong you know," he said, "I am in love with you."

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**A/N: 1) For any of those wondering the un-named, black-haired gentleman _is_ Robin.**

** 2) I also realise that Cerous is a cactus not a flower. Also apologies for any grammar/spelling errors or if either Raven or Roy seem too OOC. I did proof read but, no one's perfect.**

** 3) On a more serious note, I feel something is seriously lacking from the writing-style of this piece so any criticism or feedback would be greatly appreciated as I feel I have fallen down slightly on this one shot.**


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